Research and product analysis are fundamental for Ternium. This is why in the Experimental Laboratory located in the Palmar de Varela facility, scientists, technicians, and technologists contribute to reinforce and improve the quality of our steel.
The Experimental Laboratory is a space destined to execute analysis, tests, and testing on raw materials and finished products in operation plants, with the goal of determining their characteristics, metallurgical attributes, and compliance with technical and quality normative standards. It’s a fundamental step to strengthen the competitiveness and sustainability of the product in the market.
In general terms, the Laboratory offers support to the operational area through constant vigilance of the product in its end-stage, allowing for the early detection of problems and defining improvement strategies.
A team of professionals to research and analyze the quality of steel.
One interdisciplinary team for steel research
Developing a task of such magnitude implies the presence of a group with different focuses. In this sense, the Laboratory has a professional team of Engineers, Metallurgists, and Technicians in the Management of Industrial Production, able to identify and solve the problems associated with the life cycle of steel.
All the team is greatly prepared to undertake different activities:
- Execution of mechanical essay tests.
- Validation of dimensional and structural attributes in the material.
- Preparation and metallographic analysis (description of metal characteristics).
- Execution and chemical analysis using a high-precision instrument called optical emission spectrometer*.
*It’s an instrument used to make essays through a sample of a substance, and they tell the researcher which are the chemical components of said sample.
The Experimental Laboratory has a team of ideal professionals to research and analyze the quality of steel.
Tests undertaken here are crucial to keep continuous improvement and contributing to compliance with expectations from our clients.
The fruits of a conscious research
According to Bibiana Santoyo, Laboratory Coordinator, one of their greatest contributions to the lab, has been the one with the microstructural characterization of thermo-treated bars manufactured by Ternium del Atlántico, which is, identifying components of bars that have been subject to different temperatures and cooling to improve their resistance.
In this same process, daily analyses are performed in it, which allow for the validation of the degree of cleanliness of steel, the size of the grain, the percentage of effectiveness in its different phases, and other quality indicators.
On the other hand, one of the factors which strengthen the value of this space is its infrastructure design, which allows for the execution of several types of essays, without interfering in activities, which provides comfort to execute works. Besides, it counts with technical equipment of the latest technology for mechanical and metallographic essays; and there is a strategy for automatic transmission for essay results online.
Why is it important to study steel?
One of our corporate commitments is delivering a product that complies with technical standards, generating greater trust. In this sense, steel research has strategic importance, since, through the performed tests, it’s possible to certify and guarantee the manufactured materials.
Likewise, with the characterization and description of components for this metal, we contribute to controlling this process and reducing operating risks, which generates greater security and durability for steel in the market.
Under this program, tests undertaken here are crucial to keeping continuous improvement and contributing to compliance with expectations from our clients.
Scope of our Essay Laboratory
Results in this testing center and research have been favorable. Some of the most relevant ones are:
- Satisfactory attention to the five internal audits, fourteen external product certification audits by ICONTEC, one for certification of ISO 9001, and two audits of the Security and Environment System.
- Issuing over fifty external requests, in which studies for failure analyses and diagnosis of defects associated with raw materials, finished products, and mechanical components.
- Undertaking over sixty daily mechanical essays to maintain a permanent verification.
Continuous research for product improvement
One of the goals this initiative has is continuing to contribute to the transformation of materials and helping industries to achieve their strategic goals.
Internally speaking, Bibiana Santoyo mentions that among her short-term goals there is “culmination of the Laboratory Crediting Process under the ISO 17025 Standard with the National Crediting Organism (ONAC) to evaluate and demonstrate our competency and capability of producing reliable essay results.”
With these kinds of initiatives, in Ternium we keep giving an added value to our products, with the objective of increasing trust and security in all of our clients. We’re convinced about the importance of research and testing to mitigate risks and increase the quality and durability of our steel.